If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? – Albert Einstein Everybody knows who Albert Einstein was, right? He once owned a chain of bagel shops with his brother, didn't he? In all seriousness, for a brilliant, world famous physicist, Einstein had a pretty good sense of humor, as future Pearls will demonstrate. His theory of relativity made a crucial contribution to modern physics, as it explains the effect of gravity on space and time. His work also led directly to the development of the atomic bomb, which wasn't very funny. Today's "pearl" is funny, but it's also very true. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction was an unexpected result of an experiment observed by Boris Belousov. Because of laziness and/or shoddy peer review, the science journals to which Belousov submitted rejected his paper -- nobody believed his claims were possible, they didn't bother to attempt replicating his experiment. Belousov retired in frustration. Matches were also discovered by accident. Penicillin, Post-It notes, microwave ovens, safety glass, x-rays, and Viagra were all fortuitous but "accidental" discoveries as well. Perseverance and good luck had led to some of mankind's most important discoveries! … [Read more...]
Why the Georgia Bulldogs will win a National Championship in football in the next two years
I had the pleasure of attending the University of Georgia at the same time Herschel Walker was in school -- the undisputed best running back in Bulldog history thus far, and arguably the greatest college player of all time. Bulldog fans got spoiled rotten. The Junkyard Dawg defense coached by Erk Russell rarely gave up very many points, and it seemed that nobody could stop Herschel in the red zone. Then again, nobody could really even slow Herschel down for very long, period. He ran by people. Herschel ran through people, and even leaped over them. Mr. Walker simply wore defenses down. When asked how he could carry the ball thirty five or more times per game, Herschel famously replied, "The ball ain't heavy." You might be wondering if I've lost my mind: am I living in the past? What does reminiscing about the past and the great Herschel Walker have to do with the chances that UGA will win a national championship within the next two years? What gives me confidence to say the Bulldogs can and will win it all under Mark Richt, other than the fact I love our coach and think he's fantastic? Well, I can summarize my answer to that question with only two words: Nick Chubb. If you haven't noticed, satellite television and TIVO are wonderful inventions. Several UGA football games recorded from last season remain on my play list to satisfy the occasional urge to watch football between seasons. One of the recordings I've kept was the Auburn game. Watching the replay this afternoon I was absolutely mesmerized by what I believe to be the most amazing play … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 19 March 2015
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. -- Groucho Marx I remember what I've said in the past about actors...but Groucho was a lot more than just a movie star. He was a comedic genius who wrote most of his own material, and he was even funnier and more brilliant when he ad-libbed without a script. Besides, he said something nice about both books and dogs, and in the same sentence. It's a very funny line. And if you've read my book Always a Next One, you know how much I love dogs. … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 18 March 2015
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. – Thomas Aquinas This pearl of wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas is a reminder for me that arguing online with atheists is such a terrible waste of my time. My Counterargument for God has already covered every reason I could think to offer why design is superior to descent to explain why we have the variety of flora and fauna on Earth that we can easily observe. I've discovered that most atheists won't finish my book. They can't even get past the section on Darwinism and my explanation why design is a superior argument. Design is superior to descent for one simple reason.,,,life cannot evolve until it exists. Life cannot "descend" from inanimate matter. In other words, before evolution ever becomes possible, either supernatural creation, or stupendous good luck, has already occurred. Of course, when St. Thomas uses the word "faith", of course he means religious faith, or belief in a supernatural creator God. But atheists also have faith, if only faith in their intelligence, and that of their peers. As a general rule, atheists apparently refuse to even consider the possibility that someone with religious beliefs could have experienced something they haven't, or might know something they don't. However, observation is a crucial component of the scientific method, and I have observed phenomena in multiple personal experience that literally defies the laws of physics. Firsthand observation is empirical evidence, according to the scientific method. The … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 17 March 2015
I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. -- Douglas Adams Douglas Adams may have been the funniest writer who has ever lived. If you haven't read his famous series that begins with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you really should. The "trilogy" of four books aren't merely funny -- they are absolutely laugh out loud hilarious. If you've never seen the humor possibilities of science fiction, you can't have read anything by Douglas Adams before. Frankly, I don't know if Guardians of the Galaxy would have even been conceivable, if Adams had not shown many years ago that humor and science fiction actually work very well together. And a galaxy without Groot simply wouldn't be the same... I can certainly empathize with Adams on the subject of deadlines. Theoretically, we should be editing my novel that follows Premonition right now, but I've managed to postpone completing the first draft for at least another month. It's not that I refuse to work -- I just have a bad habit of procrastinating when it comes to producing work that might produce income. Obviously, I waste too much time writing about things that interest me, rather than things that might potentially pay for me to write about them. Like this article, for example...unless you happen to navigate over to my "Books" page and find something you'd like to read or click on the book cover above, this effort will never amount to anything more than a labor of love: today, my love for Douglas Adams. I adamantly refuse to have my web designer add a "Donate" button to create … [Read more...]
